


The Smartest Person I Know

by trevorisscreaming



Series: Tumblr Requests [4]
Category: Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-27
Updated: 2018-10-27
Packaged: 2019-08-08 09:22:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16426688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trevorisscreaming/pseuds/trevorisscreaming
Summary: Everything worked out perfectly for Jack. He's happy. Of course he is. Why wouldn't he be?





	The Smartest Person I Know

“Do you have any idea what time it is?”

Jack stared at the ground, the wall, anywhere but Davey’s face. He knew if he did, it would only make it worse.

“I do,” He finally answered.

“Then why are you here?” Davey said, punctuating his question with a yawn.

“I got nowhere else to go.”

“You have Katherine,” Davey offered.

Jack shook his head slowly. “I can’t say nothin’ to her about this stuff. It upsets her when I talk about still wantin’ to get out. She don’t understand.”

Davey huffed, frustrated. "If you’re not going away, would you quit this number and just come inside?“

“I don’t think I should,” Jack mumbled.

“And you expect me to, what, climb out the window and come down with you?”

Jack looked at him then, flashing a grin and putting on his best begging eyes. Davey sighed, long and dramatic, and climbed out onto the fire escape next to Jack. He closed his window carefully and quietly.

“I’m going to start keeping a bowl of cold water by bed, and the next time you come tapping on my window in the middle of the night, I’m going to throw it open and splash the water in your face,” Davey said.

Jack shrugged. “Free bath.”

Davey laughed. He tried to stifle the sound, only succeeding in making it more endearing. Jack felt some of the tension he’d been harboring release. They made their way down to the street as quietly as they could. It wasn’t the first time Jack had dragged Davey out of bed for a late night walk, but it should be the last time. He’d been telling himself that every time, though.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do, Davey,” Jack finally spoke after they’d walked in silence for a minute.

“That’s not news, Jack. What do you want me to do about it?” Davey asked.

“Nothin’,” Jack said.

“Then why do you keep dragging me out here over and over again?”

“Makes me feel less alone, I guess,” Jack said. “I’ll quit botherin’ you with it. Go on back home, sorry.”

“No, hey. I didn’t say it was a bother. I’m just trying to understand,” Davey said.

“There’s nothin’ more to understand than what I’ve already told you,” Jack said.

“Tell me again.”

“Why?”

“It’s still bothering you.”

Jack took a breath, launching into it yet again. “I don’t know. I’m happy. I am. I got opportunities I never had before. Everything’s different now, better even. I just can’t help but feel somethin’ is missin’.”

“Like what?” Davey asked.

“I don’t know. I’ve got it all, don’t I? A real job. My voice heard. A great girl,” Jack trailed off.

“But you don’t have Santa Fe,” Davey said.

Jack forced a smile. “How come you understand my own head better than I do?”

Davey lifted a shoulder. “Talent.”

Jack continued. “But that shouldn’t matter. All the things I was runnin’ from, they’s fixed now. So how come I still..?”

“I don’t think you’re giving yourself enough credit, Jack. It’s difficult. Santa Fe was your goal for years. You very abruptly had to accept it will never be your reality. Even if you achieved your ends through different ways, it’s still not what you expected. It’s not what you thought you wanted,” Davey said.

“You’re so smart,” Jack said under his breath.

Not hearing him, Davey continued. “You based a lot of your identity in your dreams. Of course it’s hard for you to achieve satisfaction.”

“I actually find that quite easy,” Jack joked.

“Have you ever been serious about something for more than five minutes at a time?” Davey asked, frustrated.

“What makes you think I’m not serious about that?” Jack asked, grinning.

“You’re terrible and I’m going home,” Davey said, turning around.

Jack stumbled to a halt and turned to follow after him.

“No, wait. Hey, I’m sorry,” he reached out and caught Davey by the wrist.

Davey stopped and turned. Jack let go slowly, fingertips brushing into Davey’s palm on the way. Davey’s hand twitched for that split second almost as if he planned to grab on. Jack paused in the middle of pulling his arm back to himself, and Davey fumbled before settling on pressing his arms to his sides, stiff and awkward. Jack suppressed a smile, crossing his own arms over his chest.

“I wish you’d quit doing that,” Davey said.

“Doin’ what?” Jack asked. “You’re the one who-”

“Don’t,” Davey said. “Jack. Don’t.”

“All right, all right,” Jack said, holding up his hands in surrender.

“Walk back with me?” Davey asked. Jack nodded in reply.

As they walked back the way they came, Jack looked up at the sky. Despite Davey’s encouraging words, he worked himself back into the same damn mindset he had been in when he had come over in the first place. Only this time, it was worse.

Jack was torn up, unsatisfied with his perfectly fine life because he felt he was missing something. Now there was another layer to it.

He stepped closer to Davey as they walked, letting the back of his hand brush Davey’s. Davey didn’t retract or even react this time, so Jack let it keep happening. It wasn’t enough, but it took the edge off, just like looking up at the moon and day dreaming.

Maybe this was dreaming, too. But it was such a nice dream.

Davey always knew what to say. Davey balanced out the fire in Jack, never added to it. Davey didn’t make fun of the things that mattered. Davey understood.

Too bad that would never matter.

“Would you please just come inside?” Davey pleaded once they arrived back at his building.

He seemed nervous in the way he always did when Jack was genuinely upset. Damn, Jack wondered. How can he always tell?

“Yeah. Okay,” Jack agreed.

Davey looked relieved. They climbed up the fire escape back through Davey’s window. Jack looked around, trying to make out in the dark what sorts of things the Jacobs owned. Davey held a finger to his lips as they crept by Les, asleep and unaware, to Davey’s bed in the opposite corner of room. They both sat, facing each other, close together to remain unheard. It was warm and nice and Jack needed to stop thinking about it so much.

“I don’t want you walking all the way back all upset,” Davey whispered.

“Thanks for lookin’ out for me,” Jack whispered back.

“Jack?”

“Yeah?”

“There’s something I don’t understand,” Davey started, then paused.

“What’s that?” Jack prompted him.

“Why me? I know we’re friends, but you’ve got other people, people you’ve know for so much longer. Why do you come to me?”

“Why you?” Jack repeated. “Davey. You’re the smartest guy I know. Just bein’ around you, hearin’ you talk, I learn things. You put words to stuff I always thought but never knew how to say and you made me think of things I ain’t ever thought of before. Just ‘cause I ain’t known you as long don’t mean you don’t matter. You matter a lot. You changed me for the better.”

Davey smiled. It was visible even in the dark. Jack got stuck starting at his mouth.

“Stay here tonight. You can explain yourself in the morning,” Davey said.

“Sure,” Jack absently agreed, watching Davey’s lips as he talked.

“You’re going to turn out fine. I really believe that. Just don’t do anything rash, okay?”

“Yeah,” Jack agreed. “Okay.”

Watching Davey’s mouth, there were plenty of rash things Jack wanted to do.

But he didn’t.

**Author's Note:**

> Remember to leave a comment!! It motivates me to put out more content!! My tumblr is @hopeful-broadwaybaby, hmu there too if you'd like!


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